Greenwich Academy edged in penalty corners in NEPSAC field hockey final

David Fierro

Published 5:47 pm, Sunday, November 17, 2013

WALLINGFORD -- Just a day after experiencing the thrill of victory in a game decided on penalty strokes, the Greenwich Academy field hockey team felt the agony of defeat in another nailbiter that went to strokes.

Third-seeded Greenwich Academy's quest of winning its second straight NEPSAC Class A championship was halted in heartbreaking fashion Sunday, courtesy of top-seeded Noble and Greenough School.

After 60 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, Sunday's NEPSAC Class A Tournament final at Choate Rosemary Hall went to penalty strokes and Noble and Greenough had a slight edge. Converting all five of its penalty strokes, Noble and Greenough edged Greenwich Academy, 2-1, for its first Class A field hockey championship.

"It was tough for us because we played triple overtime Saturday," Greenwich Academy coach Angela Tammaro said. "We played well in the first half, but we couldn't sustain it in the second. I think our legs were worn out a bit. We had a great season though."

Noble and Greenough had its season ended by GA a year ago.

"It feels great to win against a great team like Greenwich Academy," Nobles coach Maura Sullivan said. "We have come up against them a number of times in the past in the tournament and have lost. We lost to them in the semifinals last year."

"I would have rather have played another 7-on-7 overtime," said GA senior defender Sasha Fritts, who helped anchor the team's defensive effort. "We were lucky to beat Hotchkiss in strokes yesterday, but I think it's unfair for the goalie and a tough way to end a game."

The Gators, who eliminated second-seeded rival Hotchkiss on Saturday, dominated possession in the first half en route to claiming a 1-0 lead. GA registered five penalty corners and seven shots on goal in the opening half, while Nobles generated only one corner and one shot.

"Our confidence was there, we knew what we had to do," said Goodrick, a senior midfielder/tri-captain. "Our passes were really connected. We might have lost that a little bit in the second half."

Greenwich Academy scored on its fourth penalty corner of the first half. Goodrick sent the insert pass to senior Annie Leonard, who blasted a hard drive past Ayles. Despite being a bit banged up (leg injury) Leonard had another standout game, consistently clearing the ball out of the Gators' zone and up the field.

"Coming off our win against Hotchkiss, this was a really tough way for us to end our season," Leonard said. "It's been great to be a part of this team for three years. I'm leaving the team with a lot of great memories."

Behind the aggressive play of Goodrick, junior Sarah Frauen, senior Teddi West, junior Katrina Kraus and senior Alix West, the Gators kept the ball in Noble and Greenough's zone for most of the first half. Frauen appeared to give GA a 2-0 lead with 3:00 remaining in the first half, knocking in a rebound off a shot by Leonard on a penalty corner. It seemed like the goal was going to stand, yet one of the officials ruled that the ball hit a GA player's foot on the play and the goal was taken off the scoreboard.

Though the Gators had the momentum entering halftime, they didn't sustain it.

"Halftime came at a good time for them and a very bad time for us," Tammaro said. "I thought with the halftime rest we would come out strong, but we didn't come out as strong as we did in the first half."

Nobles, meanwhile, regrouped and generated scoring chances in the second half.

"We calmed down a little bit, we were a little too frantic in the first half," Sullivan said. "We said that we have nothing to lose and focused on playing our game and moving the ball. I felt good about our chances once we got to that second overtime."

Senior Lexie Laing tied the score at 1-1, tallying on a scramble in front of the cage, shortly after a penalty corner with 26:32 left in the second half. Both teams had two penalty corners in the second half, while the Bulldogs held a 5-4 shots-on-goal advantage. The two 7-vs.-7 overtime periods saw both teams have their opportunities, as GA put three shots on goal and Noble and Greenough registered two.

"Coming off a season in which we lost key players, everybody stepped up in every single position," said Schmidt, a senior tri-captain. "Everybody stepped up and played their game today, unfortunately, it didn't work out in our favor. I'm proud to be on a team with teammates that played for each other, not themselves."